Character Development in John Updike's "A&P": Sammy's Growth

Introduction: Sammy and the World of A&P

Sammy, the narrator of John Updike's short story "A&P", is a young man who works as a supermarket cashier in a small town. Almost the entire story takes place in the market, describing a series of events leading up to Sammy quitting his job. Sammy is a first-person unreliable narrator, making the teenager an interesting character who provides a unique perspective on the events that unfold. Through Sammy's eyes, the reader witnesses the violation of social norms.

A group of young girls Sammy's age walk through the store in their bathing suits because it is summertime and they have been at the beach. Sammy's initial reaction is one of lust — he stares at their bodies and develops a particular crush on one he calls Queenie. His friends and coworkers, also male, react in much the same way, except for the store manager, Lengel. Lengel belongs to an older generation, which is why his reaction differs from that of his younger employees. The manager admonishes the girls for dressing the way they do, embarrassing them. Witnessing the exchange, Sammy feels bad for the girls and quits on the spot. Lengel, who likes Sammy and knows his parents, tries to talk him out of it, but fails. Sammy walks out, only to realize in a matter of minutes "how hard the world was going to be." Updike's "A&P" is largely about Sammy's character development as he transforms almost instantly from a teenager into an adult who must take responsibility for his decisions.

From Passive Observer to Independent Actor

Sammy's character develops from being passive to being active when he makes what is probably his first truly independent decision. Clearly, Sammy worked at the A&P because there were few other summer jobs available to teenage boys in his small town. Because Lengel also knows Sammy's parents, it is likely that Sammy never gave the position much thought. Working at the supermarket was something Sammy did because it was easy and options were limited — not because he had genuinely sought out the position or envisioned a career there.

Sammy's passive role is highlighted by the significant power the girls seem to hold over him the moment they walk through the store. They captivate his attention so completely that he can barely concentrate on anything else; it is fortunate the store was nearly empty, as he might have been too distracted to work. As narrator, Sammy then spends a considerable amount of time describing Queenie's appearance to the reader: "You know, it's one thing to have a girl in a bathing suit down on the beach…and another thing in the cool of the A&P…with her feet paddling along naked over our checkerboard green-and-cream rubber-tile floor." His passivity is further indicated by his joking remark to Stoksie — "Darling, hold me tight" — suggesting he might faint at the sight of the girls.

Sammy vs. Lengel: Generational Contrast and Self-Discovery

The differences between Sammy's reaction to the girls and Lengel's reveal the core of Sammy's character development. The first moment the reader recognizes that Sammy is learning to think for himself comes when he states that the "sad part of the story" is approaching, but adds, "my family says it's sad but I don't think it's sad myself." Sammy clearly understands that his own feelings diverge from his family's. He then makes fun of Lengel for being old and out of touch, describing his "sad Sunday-school-superintendent stare."

The most important act of self-differentiation, however, is when Sammy quits. He does so for two reasons: to impress the girls and to stand up for them — and for his own independence. He quits loudly and "quick enough for them to hear, hoping they'll stop and watch me, their unsuspected hero." Sammy is overly idealistic about the girls; they did not appear interested in him while they were in the store, and they quickly leave the parking lot afterward, much to his dismay. Yet Sammy had made up his mind not only to impress them but to confront an authority figure for the first time in his life. His statement to Lengel — "You didn't have to embarrass them" — is both reasonable and a marker of genuine maturity. As Porter (1972) puts it, Sammy "has an eye for quality" and "commits" to individual freedom (p. 1155).

Conclusion: A Coming-of-Age Moment

The growth and development of a young man is addressed deftly in the character of Sammy in Updike's short story "A&P." Quitting his job will make life "hard" for Sammy, but he needs to learn these life lessons in order to reach maturity. Until this seminal day, Sammy had only done what his parents wanted and had followed the norms of society. The story illustrates how coming-of-age moments are rarely comfortable — they arrive abruptly, carry real costs, and leave the young person with a clearer, if harder, understanding of the world.

References

Porter, M. G. (1972). John Updike's A&P. The English Journal, 61(8), 1155–1158.

Stearns, J., Sandlin, J. A., & Burdick, J. (2011). Resistance on aisle three? Curriculum Inquiry, 41(3).

Updike, J. (1961). A&P.